Talk:The Cat Came Back
Traditional? It was my understanding that "traditional" usually indicates that the writer of the song is unknown. Does anyone know if Harry S. Miller the composer, lyricist, or both? Did he rewrite lyrics to an existing tune or vice versa? Or should it not read traditional? -- Peter (talk) 21:32, 29 May 2007 (UTC) :Actually, those credits aren't correct for the version of "The Cat Came Back" used on The Muppet Show. The Harry Miller song is what can be heard in the Cordell Barker animated short. —Scott (talk) 21:53, 29 May 2007 (UTC) ::Well the lyrics that match fairly well to the show are attributed to Harry Miller with "later folk additions" on the web. For example, here. I haven't found any indication of a song about "The Cat Came Back" with the right story line without some reference to originating with Harry Miller. There are tons of versions that have been created in the last 100 years since he wrote his. The basis of the song is the same, it's just been modified a bunch of different ways. Hence the dual attribution to Miller and traditional. -- Wendy (talk) 22:02, 29 May 2007 (UTC) :::Yeah, the lyrics in the version used on The Muppet Show and the Miller version are very close, but the tune (again, while close) is also different. The Henson Archives cite Cisco Houston alone, but I did add a note about the Miller version at the bottom of the page. Feel free to modify that as is fit. —Scott (talk) 22:06, 29 May 2007 (UTC) ::::The lyrics online for the Cisco Houston version do not at all match what was on the show no matter what the archives say. For example the chorus says "thought he was a goner". Digging further it appears that the original was fairly objectionable (black comedy.) and hence all the modification. Here's somebody who thinks the Muppets pretty much made up their version wholesale here since he couldn't find anybody else using them. The verses he says are attributed to Cisco Houston weren't in the Muppet version at all. Actually if he's right I'm familiar with the Cisco Houston version via Trout Fishing in America one, which I know well, and its melody doesn't match the one on the Muppets either. I think just "Traditional" with a note in the article about Harry Miller writing the original might work better. -- Wendy (talk) 22:14, 29 May 2007 (UTC) :::::Interesting. Is there an audio sample available of the Cisco Houston version? I came across some lyrics, too, but I assumed (because so many of those lyrics sites don't do much in the way of verifying information) that they just used the more popular lyrics from the animated short. I'm digging up the episode right now to make an audio sample for comparison. —Scott (talk) 22:18, 29 May 2007 (UTC) ::::::There's an mp3 here if you want to grab it. -- Wendy (talk) 22:23, 29 May 2007 (UTC) :::::::That mp3 didn't work, but I found a sample on Amazon -- wow, yeah that's way different. You're probably right, Traditional would be the best way to go. —Scott (talk) 22:36, 29 May 2007 (UTC)